“He has developed new strategies to design nanomaterials and is working on a diverse range of applications for these materials,” Professor Lu said.

The many different applications offered by the materials include drug and vaccine delivery, battery materials and water-treatment technologies.

“My group have designed a broad spectrum of nanoparticles for drug delivery. Nanoparticles show promise as a platform for targeted delivery in gene therapy, cancer treatment and vaccine delivery,” Professor Yu said.

His group also engineer nanomaterials to remove toxins and other unwanted compounds from water and develop functional materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries have monopolised the market in power supply for portable electronics since their commercialisation in 1990. They are now being investigated for sustainable transport and stationary energy and storage applications.

The Le Fèvre Memorial Prize commemorates the work of the late Professor RJW Le Fèvre. The award recognises outstanding scientific research in chemistry.

Professor Yu will be presented with $3000 at the Royal Australian Chemical Institute’s annual awards presentation later this month.